When we use the expression 'spicing things up', we are not referring to seasoning our vittles (at least not literally). The Spice Girls certainly weren't singing about sprinkling cinnamon and turmeric to enhance the flavor of tonight's dinner. Rather, they were speaking idiomatically, alluding to the ways you might make your love life more exciting.
We've already spoken of pepper and ginger in earlier posts, but were surprised to find out just how many other spices have featured prominently in the aphrodisiac folklore. It may be that chemical properties exist to back up these claims, but we also suspect that the role spices have played in history and folklore may have helped cultivate this--er--salty reputation. Interesting spice factoids -- erotic and otherwise include:
In Greece, tarts, jams, and wine are flavored with cardamon in the hopes that it will arouse men and send them in search of true love.
Cleopatra scented her palace rooms with cardamon when her lover Marc Antony visited.
In ancient times, cumin seeds were so highly valued that they were used to pay church tithes to priests.
Nutmeg was prized in 17th Century England as a cure for The Plague.
According to Homer, Zeus rolled around on a bed of saffron to enhance his performance.
We'll be spending the next week or so on spices. Please send us your favorite recipes, rubs, or other spicy suggestions. (PG Rated only, please.)
Remember this candy ad from 1977? Catchy tune for sure. Sometimes you feel like a nut (and opt for an Almond Joy) and sometimes you don't (in which case you go for a Mounds). So which one is your favorite? Almond Joy was, and still is, ours, and not just because the zany folks in the commercial acting like nuts seem to be having so much fun.
We were perturbed, however, to learn that one lonely little almond (without its customary salt or chocolate coating) racks up a surprising number of calories - 7 to be precise (Source: USDA). And who eats just one almond? In for a penny, in for a pound we say. Rather than ponder the calorific implication of a solitary almond, consider their licentious history. Almonds have, at various points in time, been credited with powers of arousal, and the odor of almond oil, is said to be particularly appealing to women. Hence its popularity as a fragrance in body creams, shower gels et al...apparently, we gals can't get enough of its sweet, earthy odor! And if it's true, then there is certainly a calorie- burning potential of another sort which may follow. The Joy of......but we digress.
If you don't fancy showering in the stuff, then consider sweetening up your loved one with this impressive 15 minute dessert. In posh circles this recipe is known as a galette (French for a fancy open-topped pie); we prefer to call it:
Apple Marzipan Tart
Ingredients:
1 14oz packet of frozen puff pastry
3 sweet apples (the Market's produce merchants will provide)
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 7oz packet of ready made Marzipan--sometimes called 'almond paste' (Jonathan Best carries it.)
1-2 Tbsp butter to grease your baking sheet and daub onto the apples before cooking
1 tsp granulated sugar, to sprinkle on the apples prior to baking
1 tsp of granulated sugar to make a sugary wash for edges of pastry
HEAT OVEN TO 375 degrees.
Before starting, read the defrosting instructions on puff pastry packet carefully - the pastry can dry out and become crumbly if you defrost too far in advance!
Peel, seed, and finely slice apples (they will not cook through if chunks are too large). Drop chopped apples immediately into a small bowl of cold water and fresh lemon juice to prevent discoloring. This step also adds a little tartness to counter the sweetness of the marzipan.
Roll out pastry dough sheet--if you're lucky it may well come already rolled! Aim for about a 10x8inch rectangle. Cut to size or attach additional pieces as necessary. (Be sure to pinch the fused pieces together completely or pastry will separate.) Place the puff pastry on a greased baking sheet.
Roll out marzipan, pressing as thin as possible. You want to be able to place a rectangle of marzipan that is slightly smaller than the dough on top of the pastry, leaving about an inch around the edge, so that you can twist the crust of the pastry up to a decorative effect. When you have rolled the marzipan out to desired thinness and size, place it on top of pastry, leaving the edge as described. Place the finely sliced apples atop the marzipan in a single layer and daub apples with teeny knobs of butter. Roll the edges up of the pastry to make a border (and stop the lovely fruity juices from escaping). Sprinkle apples with sugar.
Throw it in preheated oven, - (puff pastry will turn soggy if the oven is not heated thoroughly). Cook at 375 for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on this while cooking. You want to make sure that the puff pastry rises properly, apples are just turning squidgy and that the marzipan is bubbling beautifully. When pastry has puffed out nicely, put 1 teaspoon of sugar in small bowl, and pour in a little boiling water to dissolve sugar. Remove tart from oven and brush this sugary glaze around the edges of the pastry and return to oven for a further 5 minutes. (This will brown the edges)
Serve hot--either freshly baked right out of the oven or reheated (by putting tart the oven for a few minutes before serving). Perfect topped with Vanilla ice-cream.
Having exhausted our New Year's Resolutions and in the build up to the big day (Feb 26th, as if you need any reminder!), we've turned our attention to that most unassuming of aphrodisiacs -- the nut.
Nuts don't sound very exciting, yet they are traditionally viewed as a powerful fertility symbol and were believed to inflame passion and engender love.
Pine nuts are considered to be the most potent, because of their high zinc content. According to one source, the Roman poet, Ovid recommended imbibing a sickly sweet concoction of almonds, pine nuts and thick honey to "restore sexual vigor."
The Italians in particular revered them as aphrodisiacs; during Harvest Festival, when young maidens celebrated the fecundity of Mother Nature, they symbolically passed round bowls of nuts to recognize Nature's greatness. Likewise, walnuts have been used since medieval days to bless a wedding - one tradition goes that walnuts (not rice) were thrown at bride and groom to bring luck and ensure a fertile union.
Hopefully, they were taken out of the shell first..?
Perhaps Hades (in cartoon above) might have had more luck if he'd tried the following sensual recipe out on Aphrodite?
Add Semi-Sweet Chocolate + Sea Salt to this....
And you make Chocolate Drizzled Nuts
The team at Real Simple Magazine devised this...possibly one of the most scrumptious dessert combinations imaginable. The sea-salt just tips this over the edge...
Anyone can serve an easy dessert--break out a box of chocolates, a carton of ice cream or a package of cookies and voila, instant gratification. It is also infinitely possible to serve an impressive dessert--either with a lengthy stretch in the kitchen, wrestling with pastry dough and caramelizing sugar or by laying out significant cash at a high-end patisserie. But today we have an easy and impressive dessert, starring this week's featured ingredient: vanilla. We mentioned vanilla's reputed aphrodisiac properties previously; if your dinner guests sprint to the door after ingesting our concoction, we take no responsibility. But, we guarantee that this Semifreddo will be a hit.
Semifreddo, or 'half cold' in Italian, encompasses a category of desserts including cakes, ice creams, fruits, custards or whipped creams that are partially frozen. The following has been a go-to in my repertoire for years; it is simple, elegant, and very, very delicious.
Vanilla Semifreddo
Makes 6-8 servings
2 lbs fresh ricotta cheese (at Salumeria or Downtown Cheese)
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Blend on medium high speed for 1 minute til mixture is smooth. Chill and serve.
Suggestions: Place semifreddo in large, pretty crystal bowl and top with fresh berries or melted dark chocolate. Alternatively, serve in individual martini glasses or sorbet cups, drizzled with chocolate. If you want to get really fancy, drizzle chocolate in the initial of each diner. I did this at a party last summer and my guests were impressed.
Cook's Note: This recipe can be made with the standard supermarket ricotta, and it's pretty good, but it is transcendent with fresh ricotta.
Since we gave you the real version last week, we thought a parody was in order. Vid quality is not perfect, but it's hilarious nonetheless.....
One wintry Sunday we went for a bracing romp through the Wissahickon with friends. Following a six mile round trip up Forbidden Drive to Valley Green Inn, our friends treated us to a culinary adventure --exposing us to a Raclette supper. This Swiss staple involves flash braising food at the table. It's reminiscent of a night out at a Korean Barbecue restaurant, although the raclette dishes all focus on cheese in various guises. We were treated to rolled eggplants stuffed with pesto, Cornish hens with cranberries and apples, mushrooms in heavy cream and gouda, small potatoes, an assortment of sausages, and three different cheeses.
The idea is simple.
A raclette is basically a two-tier griddle, sort of a turbo charged fondue on which you saute meats and vegetables on the upper level. While this deliciousness is going on, you simultaneously melt cheese in little dishes under the griddle, then drizzle the cheese over the cooked food when ready. Alternatively, for the impatient among us, you can gorge on baguette and crudites dipped in the molten cheese if you're too hungry to wait for the main course to cook.)
According to our Belgian friend, the raclette was invented to encourage conversation. You have to talk to your neighbor to ensure that dishes are passed down the table. It's quite an ice-breaker (and keeps the kids entertained while adults converse).
As if the raclette weren't impressive enough, our host produced these extraordinary cookies to top off the afternoon. Time consuming to make, they lived up to their star billing "Mint-Melt-Aways." The peppermint fondant layer between the rich crumbly shortbread and the bittersweet chocolate is sensational - ice cold to the tongue.
The colloquialism "plain vanilla", which implies boring, prosaic, and undesirable is simply wrong.
Vanilla is among the most expensive flavors in the world, a by-product of the exotic and exorbitantly pricey orchid plant. It is difficult to cultivate, labor intensive to process, and grows in remote, inaccessible locations, .
Vanilla is also reputed to possess amatory properties--perhaps based on a myth traced back to the Totonac people, who were the first to produce this luscious flavor. They inhabited the Mazatlan Valley in what is now Mexico. As the story goes, Totonac Princess Xanat, a divine royal, was forbidden by her father to marry a mortal youth. Displeased and rebellious, the impetuous lovers fled into the forest, where they were promptly captured by Dear old Dad's henchmen. They were then beheaded, and where the blood dripped from their severed necks, a tropical orchid (aka vanilla plant) sprouted.
Later, European physicians touted vanilla as a cure for impotence, and Thomas Jefferson (reputed to have been a bit of a Revolutionary ladies' man) is credited with bringing vanilla to the budding American Republic after sampling it during his diplomatic foray to France.
As we're discussing vanilla, we couldn't resist posting the following blast from the past. For us, this vid will have the opposite effect discussed above, but good for a chuckle, no?
According to Genesis, Esau traded his birthright to his tricky brother Jacob for a bowl of lentils. We're not saying that this dish warrants such extreme recompense, but we do recommend it as a healthy, hearty, vegetarian dish that pleases even the most carnivorous of crowds. And, it helps with New Year's Resolution #8 : Eat vegetarian at least once a week. Incidentally, this seems to be a growing trend; The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Meatless Mondays are being adopted by more and more households. We here at Philly Food Lovers always try to be on the front end of trends (boy bands and 80's fashion notwithstanding), so this is right up our alley.
Just because you forego meat does not mean you have to sacrifice taste and substance. Dal--our favorite vegetarian Lentil Stew-- is delicious, healthy, and easy to make. We don't expect you to swear off steak eternally at first the spoonful, or relinquish your inheritance like the naive Esau, but we're pretty sure you'll enjoy it and feel sated, even without the animal protein. Dal is a traditional Indian side dish, usually served over basmati rice, but we love it solo as a soup, too. Power-packed lentils contain 13 grams of protein per serving and a whopping 16 grams of fiber; do your bod and the earth some good and try it for dinner one night. We promise, guys, you'll still have hair on your chest afterwards.
Dal (Vegetarian Indian Lentil Stew)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder
1/4 tsp crushed chili flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp curry powder or your favorite Indian spice blend (Garam Masala, Tandoori Masala, etc.)
1 lb lentils, rinsed
7 cups water
In large stock pot heat oil on medium-high. Add spices, ginger and onions. Stir til spices are fragrant and onion begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add lentils and water, and bring to boil. Stir and lower heat to simmer. Simmer, covered, 1-2 hours or more til lentils are completely soft. This dish keeps in fridge 3-4 days, and can be frozen for several months. NOTE: all spices may be adjusted for personal taste; increase amounts to make the dish more robust. You can also add a couple of whole dried chilis to ramp up the heat.
Not worth an entire estate, alas, poor Esau, but certainly worth the minimal effort it takes to toss this potage together for a warming winter bowl of goodness.
